Twenty-six-year-old Pham Thanh Hien and his wife Pham Thi Dang, 23, from Quang Ngai Province’s Nghia Thang Commune are in desperate need of financial assistance to cover the cost of medical treatment for their 8-month-old son Pham Thanh Duc who is suffering from myelogenous leukemia.

Over one month ago, Duc had a light fever, a cough and diarrhoea.  He was taken to the province’s hospital for a medical examination and was diagnosed with myelogenous leukemia, a cancer of the blood.  On 22 January, Duc was admitted to the Da Nang Paediatrics and Maternity Hospital.  After a course of chemotherapy, his disease is now in remission but, unfortunately, Duc is now suffering from sepsis.  Over the past 2 weeks, he has had a high fever and is not reacting to the high doses of antibiotics.

Duc in the hospital

Dr Truong Thanh Tam from the hospital said that Duc’s first chemotherapy course had cost between 15 and 20 million VND, but Duc now requires 3 more courses and more drug infusions.  Dr Tam said that part of the cost of the boy’s treatment will be covered by Duc’s health insurance, but his family will have to find the remaining several millions of VND for the sepsis treatment.

Mr Hien and his wife are workers at a frozen seafood company in Quang Ngai Province but they have now left their jobs in order to spend more time taking care of Duc.  Their own parents are poor farmers.

Donations for Duc’s treatment can be sent to the Da Nang Newspaper, 42 Tran Phu Street, Da Nang (Phone: 0511 3812341 and 0905832222) or please contact Mr Hien on 0905 254511 and Mrs Dang on 01678 214787.